Clasp.



H. E. GRABAU.

CLASP.

,APPLICATION FILED FEB-26. 1915.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

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' lNVENfOH Hans E. Grabau WITNESSES A TTORNEYS 'UITED srnrns PATENT onsr HANS E. GRABAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GABRIEL ABRAHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. 7

eLAsr.

Application filed February 26, 1915. Serial No. 10,655.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HANS E. GRABAU, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Clasp, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to clasps, and it has for its general objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be reliable and efficient in use, comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and so designed that a firm grip can be obtained by the clasp.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a clasp having a movable v jaw that is capable of a wide range of movement in opening and having a gripping portion cooperating with the gripping portion of the fixed jaw so that an article can be firmly grasped without danger of slipping and liability of tearing the article gripped.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a clasp movably mounted on a base, and a resilient or elastic element is connected with the clasp and base, so, that when two articles or two parts are connected together by the devicev the said parts or articles will be capable of having a yielding movement under spring tension.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device with the clasp closed; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the clasp open; Fig. 3 is a side view of the device; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the device with the clasp gripping an article, the section being taken on the line 4-4., Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the parts that form the mounting for the clasp; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the movable jaw and the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

operating leverftherefor; and Fig. 8 is a rear viewof the device. K

Referring to the drawing, 1 and 2 designate respectively the fixed and movablejaws of a clasp, one jaw having a tongue or gripping portion 3 and the other an opening 4, into which this tongue extends when the clasp is closed. In the present instance the tongueis shown on the fixed jaw and the opening is provided in the movable jaw. The fixed jaw has spaced lugs 5 between which the hinged portion of the movable jaw is disposed. This movable jaw has parallel lugs'6 which set in between the lugs 5, and in the lugs 6 arelongitudinal slots 7through which a hinge pintle or pivot bar 8 extends, the ends of this bar8 being fastenedin the lugs 5 of the fixed jaw. By

means of'this slot and pin connection between the fixed and movable jaws the movable jaw is capable of a sliding movement in a longitudinal direction in' opening and closing. A lever 9 is connected with the hinged end of the movable jaw and also with 'the fixed jaw so as to throw the movable jaw to and from closed position. This lever is of the bell-crank type and has pivot studs 10 which engage in openings 11 in the lugs 5 of the fixed jaw. The short arm 12 of the lever has pivot studs 13. which engage in openings 14: in the lugs 6 of the movable jaw. The arm 15 of the'lever projects outwardly from the hinged end of the movable jaw where it can be conveniently grasped for opening and closing the clasp. This lever swings through an arc of about ninety degrees with the arm 15 swinging in the direction toward the grip end of the clasp, and in so doing the movable jaw is thrown from the closed position shown in Fig. 1 to the open position shown in Fig. 2, the movable jawhaving an opening movement of approximately ninety degrees. This enables an article that is to be gripped to be easily placed in the clasp, and after being placed the movable jaw is closed by throwing the lever backwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Figs. 1 and 4. By means of the tongueand opening of the jaws the article grasped is abruptly kinked, as shown in Fig. 4, and thereby the holding power is greatly increased, and during the latter part of the closing movement the movable jaw is drawn longitudinally so that In some uses of the clasp it is desirable that the articles or parts connected together by the clasp may have a relative yielding.

movement. For this purpose the clasp is attached to amounting which consists of a base plate 16, a slide 17 movable thereon,

and a spring 18 connectedwith the'loase and slide so as to yieldingly oppose relative movement of these parts; The base" 1600mprises a metal platehaving its opposite edges bent into inwardly-extending parallel flangesv 19' that form guideway-s 20 for the edges 21 of the oppositely disposed L-shaped flanges 22' of the slide 17.- l' he spring 18'is housed betweenthe slide and base and comprises a spring metal coil 28 'termina ting in arms 24 and 25 which have their extremities 26' and 27 engaged respectively in openings 28 and 29 in the slidelT and base l6l The spring being connected'flin this manner permits the slide tomove longitudinally on the base,v and in so" doing the arms and 25' are brought together against thetension of the coil 23. The-relative movementoi' the'p'art's and 17 is limited by a longitudinal slot 30 in the base 16 and the stop lugor tongue 31' on' the slide. Normally this tongue 31 engages one end 32 of the slot, due to the tension of the spring, and when the slide moves its full extent the tongue 31 willen'- gagethe end 83 of the slot 30;

In practice the device can be attached to I an article A in any suitablemanner, but in the present instance openings 34 are pro"- vided in the'base 16, sot'liatthe device can be sewed to the' artioleA. Another article is shown in Fig. 4i engaged-by the clasp so that-the articles A and B will be yieldingly connected, the articles being movable in the directions indicated by the arrows whenthe parts are in the" normalposition show-11 m Fig.4;

K clasp of this character can be" used in a large variety of ways, and as it; includes a spring oonnectlon, ordinary rubber elastics can be dispensed with;

From the foregoing description taken-- in connection with the accompanying drawing,

the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I ola'im' as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1'. The combination of a base having parallel guideways, a slide having its edges ongaged in the guideways, a spring concealed between the base and slide and having opposite ends connected with the slide and base, means for limiting the relative movement of tlie'slitle-and-base to prevent the spring from being subjected to a destructive tension, and a: clasp carried by the slide.

The combination of a clasp, a slide to which the clasp is fastened, a base having opposite edges provided: with guidew ays and in which the opposite edges of the slide move,- a spring confined between the base and slide and having its free extremities bent in opposite directions, said slide and base having apertures for receiving the extremities of the spring, the base having a longitudinal slot, and a lug on the slide engaging in the slot for limiting the movement of the slide in both directions; v

3. The combination of a base having parallelgui'deways, aslide retained on the base and guided in its movement by the edges of the slide engaging inthe guideways, a spring element concealed bet-ween the base and slide and having one end engaged with one endof the base and the other end engaged with the oppositeend of the slide, and a tastener carried by the slide.-

In t-estii'i'ion'y whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HANS E. GRABAU.

lVitnesses DANIEL B. TAMAGNO, GABRIEL ABRAHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington-,3. C. 

